Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickups

Not a whole lot on the waiver wire this week, but it’s important to build for the future, and add some speculative guys who can make a difference for you on bye weeks, or have them on your roster before they blow up and appear in this article as must-adds a few weeks down the line. All ownership percentages are from Yahoo, and are probably less owned on ESPN.

Running Backs

Wendell Smallwood (8% owned)

Darren Sproles will be out for the year after tearing his ACL and breaking him arm on the same play. My goodness. After he left, it was Smallwood seeing most of the benefit. Smallwood saw 43 snaps once Sproles went out, compared to LeGarrette Blount’s 22 and Corey Clement’s 7. Smallwood should be involved in both the run and pass game, so he’ll be extra valuable in PPR formats; he saw 8 third-down snaps. He won’t get goal line carries, although he can be used in red zone situations after seeing 4 snaps inside the 10 yard line. Corey Clement looked good in the preseason, so it’s possible he gets some carries. Doug Pederson also talked about acquiring a back through the waiver wire or trade, so keep that in mind as well.

D’Onta Foreman (17% owned)

He’s a desperate start, but a smart hold on benches. He has the chance of outperforming Lamar Miller, increasing his workload, taking over because of an injury, or just keeping his current role. A lot of good reasons to stash him.

Chris Johnson (46% owned)

Looked pretty bad on Monday night, but the Cardinals should be getting back two offensive lineman very soon, and one of them this week for sure. He has a good matchup at home against San Francisco this week if you need a spot start. Bruce Arians has said that he’s still their starting running back for Week 4.

CJ Prosise (18% owned)

Might want to pick him up before Seattle really starts rolling. Could have some value in a good offense. He had a couple of downfield targets, and he has the ability to make those plays, as we saw on Sunday. Chris Carson has his role, and Prosise has his; he’s a good pickup in PPR leagues.

Alvin Kamara (40% owned)

He’s very involved in this Saints offense, and we know how that he has the talent. Through three weeks, Kamara has 20 touches, mostly in the passing game. That role is very valuable in this offense, and I would try to own him before the Saints start rolling. My guess is that him and Ingram will have their roles grow, while AP will take more of a backseat.

Alex Collins (2% owned)

When Terrance West fumbled in the second half, Alex Collins got a handful of carries and took advantage of his opportunity by getting chunk gains. West was never the Ravens’ real solution at running back, so any inkling that someone can take over is worth paying attention to. We could also see West get 20 carries next week, but it’s worth the speculative add in case Collins all of a sudden becomes the guy to own in the backfield.

Duke Johnson (53% owned)

The Browns can’t stay in games, and Duke Johnson has been getting a lot of work. He has 18 targets so far on the year, and he’s getting more involved with each game. Isaiah Crowell hasn’t been seeing much work in the second halves of games, which was our fear coming into the year, and Johnson is a great pass-catcher who can provide fantasy value in PPR leagues.

Corey Clement (0% owned)

If you can’t or don’t want to get a hold of Wendell Smallwood, adding Clement to the bottom of your bench is worth it just in case he starts being used as an early down running back next week. He looked good in preseason, and seems to gel with this line. You can get him for free as a speculative add.

Andre Ellington (7% owned)

Ellington is getting some opportunity after the David Johnson injury. He’s had 16 targets on the year for 106 yards, and even looked better as a between-the-tackles running back than Chris Johnson once they started giving him some carries in the second half vs the Cowboys. Ellington is worth adding in PPR leagues as a weapon for Carson Palmer, but also as a speculative add for more early down work because of the ineptitude of the position in Arizona.

Wide Receivers

Marqise Lee (48% owned)

After Allen Robinson went out, Lee has had 19 targets in two games, which leads the team. He was an add last week, but apparently a lot of people haven’t caught on since he’s available in most leagues. The #1 target on any team is fantasy relevant, especially if they’re getting close to 10 targets per game. He’s a great asset in any PPR format.

Allen Hurns (38% owned)

Hurns is more of the big play receiver in Jacksonville, and is also a fine add along with Lee. If you’re in a standard league, Hurns is the better add because he might not get the volume you’re looking for to get you a good fantasy day. He has more chances of scoring touchdowns than Lee, and we’ve seen him and Bortles have a good connection in 2015.

Danny Amendola (53% owned)

Alot of people dropped Amendola once he got hurt, so he’s still available in almost half of leagues on Yahoo. He didn’t have the best game in Week 3, but it was a strange game altogether. Brady depends on that slot receiver, and Amendola is very efficient when he’s in the game and Edelman is not on the field. Pick up and start Amendola with confidence every week, especially in PPR formats to give yourself a solid floor.

Devin Funchess (20% owned)

Funches had 6 targets and 10 targets in the last 2 games, respectively. He was already benefitting with Olsen out, so it might be a good idea to pick him up in case Benjamin is out too. Not a priority add, but he would be a decent start if Benjamin doesn’t play in Week 4.

Rashard Higgins (42% owned)

Higgins didn’t get as many targets this past Sunday, but it seemed like the Colts were trying to limit him. He still had 6 targets, and 11 the week before. He’s a talented player who if given the opportunity can shine, so he’s a bit of a stash. There’s still room for a #1 WR to emerge in this Cleveland offense.

Sterling Shepard (36% owned)

With Eli Manning having no time to throw, Shepard should be the primary beneficiary for those quick throws coming out of the slot. The volume is going to be there as a whole for this passing offense, since they’ve realized that they cannot run the ball, so Shepard is a fine play each week with the upside for a touchdown.

Jaron Brown (4% owned)

Brown has had 6 targets and 11 targets in the last 2 games. He could’ve came away from MNF with 3 TDs. He caught one, he caught a second which was called back for a hold, and he caught a third red zone target which he caught but barely couldn’t keep his second foot in bounds. Palmer is targeting him, and he needs to be rostered. If you need a spot start, he’s totally fine to start this week against the 49ers.

Tyler Lockett (41% owned) and Paul Richardson (11% owned)

If Baldwin misses time, Lockett would see more opportunity. He was on the field for 90% of the snaps. Same goes for Paul Richardson; he looked good in his opportunity and has a couple of red zone grabs already this year. He’s been pretty consistent so far in his target totals of 7, 5, and 7.

Josh Doctson (6% owned)

Kirk Cousins doesn’t seem to trust any of his receivers besides Chris Thompson. Cousins doesn’t even want to throw it to Terrelle Pryor at this point. If Doctson comes along, he has the opportunity for a decent target share. Doctson’s snap share has increased from 32% in Week 1 to 41% in Week 2 to 53% in Week 3, which was more than Ryan Grant. That’s a very telling sign that he has a chance of overtaking Grant and becoming part of that 3-WR starting lineup. He’s super talented, and is a great stash at this point. I am not starting him next week.

Bruce Ellington (0% owned)

Can be someone to target as a speculative add in PPR leagues. He’s talented, saw a lot of work in preseason and looked good doing it, got a concussion in first game, and can be a solid option if Hopkins is the focus of every opposing defense.

Tight Ends

Ben Watson (32% owned)

I’m not worried about Week 3, in which the entire Ravens defense shriveled up into nothingness. I’m throwing it out. Joe Flacco loves to target the tight end on short throws, and Watson is a good PPR option most weeks.

Evan Engram (39% owned)

Engram has been solid and consistent with 5, 7, and 7 targets over the first three weeks. With not a lot of time to throw, Engram would be a good candidate for these types of targets to continue from Eli Manning.

Charles Clay (23% owned)

Clay has been the main passing target for the Bills over the first three games outside of LeSean McCoy. He’s had 9, 3, and 6 targets over the last couple of weeks, and he’s their main red zone look.

Jared Cook (40% owned)

Cook has been pretty consistently targeted by Derek Carr, even in the Raiders’ debacle on Sunday night. If Cook gets 5-7 targets per game, he should produce low-end TE1 numbers on a weekly basis in this offense.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins (4% owned)

Josh McCown likes tight ends, and ASJ got 6 targets to lead the team in his first game back from suspension. That’s a good sign, and things should be pointing upwards for ASJ in games to come.